Special Delivery
by sanctum-c
Summary: Cloud delivers a package to the Secret Forest.


For deliveries, Cloud would normally insist on something that at least resembled an address. For the most part this was easy to obtain. A location in Edge, Kalm, Junon, Costa del Sol, North Corel, even Nibelheim was easy to find armed with the relevant knowledge. As long as there was something concrete to orient himself by, he would find his destination. Sometimes, for smaller settlements, the town itself was enough; he would then try and find someone who could point him in the right direction.

Gongaga, North Corel and Cosmo Canyon made things a little more awkward. The best he managed for Gongaga to date was in terms of proximity to the Fair family; a system that perplexed most of the residents but did at least function for him on the few jobs that brought him quite so far out. North Corel was a similar situation with the Gold Saucer as the landmark. He gave up with a system for Cosmo Canyon, preferring instead to find Nanaki and ask him for directions to the specific cave.

This delivery was something else again. At least Reeve had good handwriting and made the effort to put an address on the packet. A shame about the actual content of his words. Maybe the man felt embarrassed when writing the label since it was in reverse order. No number, no street, not even an actual town; only 'Near Gongaga' as the second line. The continent - for example - on line one was rarely necessary; not as if multiple Midgars (or indeed Gongagas) plagued the Planet thanks to the events of some years previous. The third line was the kicker. "'Somewhere in the Secret Forest'," Cloud muttered.

The once inaccessible jungle had become open to the world after Avalanche downed the gigantic Ultimate Weapon during the Jenova crisis and the force of the creature's explosive defeat obliterated a bordering canyon wall. At the time far more pressing issues took priority; it was only as events settled in the years that followed that renewed curiosity turned many people's attentions to the uncharted region. The forest in question was right ahead of him; a gloomy mass of trees and strange, unfamiliar plants. Likely some unusual monster variants infested the place too.

There remained a chance that Shinra had plumbed the forest's depths years before but Reeve was still quick to dismiss such a claim. He had conducted an exhaustive trawl through the old company's archives, and noted only the Highwind offered a workable platform with which to explore the terrain before the Weapon's defeat. Shinra seemed to have had little use for the airship after they confiscated it and not sent it on any trips to isolated jungles prior to its liberation by Cid. A good plan all the same, but since they lacked other airships, someone would need to persuade Cid to provide the Shera and that remained unlikely at present. At least Cloud could walk into the area. Things would be easier if they had GPS co-ordinates; if he could co-opt Cid he could go straight to the right location and abseil down. Definitely a consideration if a delivery like this ever happened again.

But as much as it would have been easier, there was no way Cloud could reject the delivery based on the final line of the address. 'To Aeris Gainsborough.' He did not get enough chances to see his old friend; another was always welcome. Enough stalling; he had agreed to do this for free. Cloud left Fenrir not far from the forest's edge. It might have coped the terrain inside, but there were no guarantee he would not total the bike somehow or get it stuck and leave himself stranded. Best to go on foot, even if it felt odd to leave Fenrir standing out in the open like this. There was some mild risk of a monster knocking it over, but the resulting damage would be minimal. Little risk of theft and the delivery should not take too long.

The previous day Reeve availed Cloud of some further details about Aeris's location. She had entered the woods some three days previous by his estimates and was well ahead of many other proposed expeditions. He also related her repeated promise that she would stay close to the forest's edge. Not helpful; the treeline stretched off for over a mile in either direction until it met the remains of the canyon walls and there was no sign of Aeris.

Logic then; Reeve mentioned Aeris had traveled first to Gongaga and then to the Secret Forest. Little chance she would roam straight across the landscape- No. Not true; she had always been somewhat unpredictable. But in the absence of any other information, it was his best starting point. Cloud headed to his right, parallel with the treeline. He resisted the urge to call her name out, though who could he embarrass himself in front of here?

Cloud kept on walking. There had to be a good way into the interior; multiple gaps between the trees offered opportunities despite their closeness. The notion of stomping through the dense foliage between the towering trunks was off-putting; who knew what was lurking in there? Aside from Aeris presumably. Could he concede defeat and call in Cid? At least- Wait. There. A gap in the trees offered a path of sorts deeper into the jungle. A last look around; no one and no monsters in sight. He would try venturing a short distance in and if no good, he would back out and try further along.

The air grew hotter and more humid as he moved deeper into the foliage, brushing against plant fronds as he moved. Animal noises silenced on his approach and resumed again in his wake. Several somethings moved through the undergrowth all around him. Nothing large enough to worry about for now and the unknown creatures seemed wary of the intruder. Assuming nothing was poisonous he would be fine, and even then the worst poisons he encountered to date left him with little more than cold symptoms on past contact. Above him the forest canopy was denser than expected and the daylight dimmed to a dull green. Almost like the sub-

Cloud shivered and shook the notion away. Where was the tent? Aeris must have a tent near here and even if the tent blended in, Aeris should stand out a mile with her pink dress and-. Someone was clinging to the underside of a large branch a little off the path. Black pants, green vest-top, messy braid swept back under a bandanna. Aeris had flecks of mud on her face and seemed focused on a flower sprouting from the branch of a neighbouring tree. With careful movements, she moved forwards, never taking her gaze from her target. Cloud cleared his throat. "Got a delivery for a Miss Gainsborough?" Aeris blinked and glanced around until her gaze fell on him.

"Cloud!" She glanced at the branch and back to him. "Didn't expect any company out here. Hang on-" Aeris shifted her hand hold and squirmed back up on top of the branch. She scrambled down the tree, bare feet skidding across bark, darted over to him and threw her arms around him. "Great to see you!"

"Nice to see you too." Cloud gestured at the flower she had been stalking. "That worth all the risk there?"

Aeris followed his gaze. "Oh. Oh yes, it is. That species- I've never seen a record of it anywhere else on the Planet! Well. I mean, people know about it - there's a whole chapter about it in 'A Treatise on the Prehistory of the Planet' at Cosmo Canyon - but everyone thinks it's extinct. But now I know it's not and based on that, who know what else is in here?" She grinned. "This is forest is like nowhere else in the world!"

"As long as there's no Touch-Mes or anything like that," Cloud murmured. The flower was a pretty - if unusual - mottled colour.

Aeris tensed up. "That. Would be awkward." She glanced around for any approaching frog-like monsters common to jungles elsewhere on the Planet.

"Just as well your boyfriend sent something in case of that." He held up Reeve's package.

"You really came with a delivery?" Cloud nodded. "Reeve's the best, isn't he?" She grinned and took the parcel. "And so are you for making the effort! You want a drink or anything? Going to get this to camp before anything happens to it." His throat was dry and he accepted the offer without hesitation. Aeris lead him a short distance further into the forest. Her camp was not far from the tree - she was not about to lose track of the flower once she spotted it she explained. Not much of a camp either; one tent and the remains of a bonfire, but Aeris relaxed as if home.

Cloud swigged the canteen Aeris offered him, not wanting to drink too much as she sat beside her tent. He was about to ask if she had found a water source when she tore the package open and sorted through the contents. "Maiden's kiss, softs, gold needles, cure materia, toothpaste! Oh Reeve." She grinned at Cloud. "Can't believe I forgot all that. And chocolate too. And-" She squinted at the package and pulled out a box with an image of a phone on the label. "And a new PHS?"

"Reeve said it was a satellite phone." Cloud pointed at the box. "For staying in touch out here. Should have a much better range than your old phone," he continued. And cost a fortune to run; Reeve was footing the bill it seemed.

"So I can call anyone from here?" Aeris opened the box and powered the phone on. She retrieved another PHS and began tapping numbers into the satellite phone.

"For rescue mostly I think, but sure." Cloud smiled.

Aeris rolled her eyes. "I bet he said that was one reason he got this?" Cloud nodded. "As much as I love him, he can really get too paranoid at times." She regarded Cloud for a moment. "Tifa's not like that with you is she?"

"She... she likes me to check in, but she understands cell-phone reception is not wonderful in some places." He gestured to the trees. "Like here."

"Good." Aeris grinned. She jabbed at the keypad, glancing between the two devices as she worked. "How are the two of you getting on?"

"Also good," Cloud said. Aeris looked at him and waited. "Things are... They're good," he continued. She hummed and put the two devices to one side as she piled firewood in the remains of the previous campfire. "Nothing's changed all that much; we're not or married and Tifa's not expecting."

She raised an eyebrow. "Any of those would have been quite the shocking surprise. Though you two seemed easily cozy enough without some kind of official stamp on things." With the wood piled up she added a firelighter and got the fire going. "And kids? Really?" Aeris shook her head. "Tifa must have her hands full enough with Marlene, Denzel and Shelke to want more."

"True, but Shelke-"

"-is still a child," Aeris cut in pausing to meet his gaze. "Still a resident of the bar though?"

"She is," Cloud replied and leant back on his hands and away from the heat. "Spends a lot of time with Yuffie oddly." The heat from the fire was less than welcome in the sweltering forest, but then how else was Aeris to cook?

"I can but hope they will keep each other out of mischief," Aeris murmured fanning her face with one hand as her complexion reddened. "Are you happy though?" She peered at him over the flames. "Still accepting you're not alone?"

"I am." Cloud smiled back. "Tifa's there for me; so is the rest of Avalanche, but she's- Well, we live together and-"

"So you do understand." Aeris nodded. "Glad you figured that one out." Cloud's cheeks heated. "Tifa okay though? With Edge getting bigger? The bar's not been lost down a backstreet or something?"

"We've always kind of been like that, but enough people know where we are," Cloud said. The bar was always packed when he made it back during opening hours. "I mean, we must be doing well; Tifa had to hire more staff. Someone you know, but not who you'd expect."

"Someone I know?" Aeris's expression turned thoughtful. "Well, you'd have just said if it were Yuffie and-" She sighed. "Who is it?"

"Elena."

"Elena?" Cloud nodded. "As in Elena of the Turks?" Another nod and Aeris smiled. "You're right; I really did not expect that. So, she given up on the Turk thing to pursue a new career?"

"I think so?" Cloud shrugged. "With them it's hard to know. They all still look up Vincent; he's like the Turk grand master or something. But Tifa's happy with how Elena's working out. Also we have Andy and Lando helping in the kitchen."

Aeris blinked at him. "Andy and Lando?"

"Oh." Cloud blanched. "Yeah, you never got a chance to meet them. It was-"

"Yeah, I think I can guess." Aeris prodded the fire with a stick. Never clear how much she objected to references when she had been in the Lifestream nor was it an easy subject to touch on. Avalanche as a rule tried to avoid the topic.

"I met them in Junon when I snuck into the upper city." Aeris broke into a grin and mouthed 'Mr. Dolphin' at him; Cloud nodded but carried on. "They reminded me a lot of how I used to be." Deep breath. "Refused to fight them when we went back to Junon." He rushed the words, anxious to move part that part of events. Not quick enough; Aeris shivered. "And then I ran into them in Edge about a year ago," Cloud said.

"Take it they resisted the lure of Shinra again?" Aeris emptied a canteen of water into a pan and put it over the flames.

Good. Focus on recent events. "They did. And with their help, Tifa's a lot less stressed now."

Aeris poured out a portion of rice. "Well that's good. More time to relax, just the two of you."

"And spend more time with the kids as well. Not just me," Cloud protested.

"One big happy family," Aeris murmured and shook her head. "You've come a long way you know."

"Figuratively and literally," he replied. Living in the Seventh Heaven with Tifa, sharing her bed, no longer working himself until he would crash the moment he got in. Leisure time was something he was still getting used to and to have so many people who wanted him around. People it would be good to see as soon as he could. Cloud glanced at his watch with a sigh. "Sorry, I should get going unfortunately; we are absolutely miles from anywhere."

"It's fine." Aeris brushed her hands clean and scrambled to her feet. "I'd offer you some food, but dinner is going to take a while and my rations are a little limited-"

"Keep your food," Cloud said as he got to his feet. "But make sure you stay in touch."

Aeris nodded. "Well, I have this new phone, so... Try and stop me." She held out her arms and Cloud hugged her.

"Really good to see you again and I hope you get a chance to drop by when you're finished here."

Aeris squeezed him. "Of course. Always like visiting you and yours."

To some, leaving Aeris along in the middle of an uncharted forest in the middle of nowhere might seem odd. But Aeris was Aeris; last of the Cetra, a survivor and proven on multiple occasions to be more than capable of taking care of herself. She would be fine. Cloud glanced back all the same and waved as made his way out of the forest; Aeris waved back. Now to get home; back to Fenrir, back to Gongaga and back - in the end - to the Seventh Heaven.


End file.
